This is a place for any extant garments in private collections from about 1941 back. There is no beginning date. The only rule is that it can't be currently in a museum and must be before the bombing of Pearl Harbor. I mostly post items I've seen on ebay, etsy, or other auction sites so we will continue to have a record of them for research purposes. If you have antique clothing in your collection, please, email me pictures of them and I will gladly add them to this site.

Pages

Monday, November 17, 2014

Turn of the Century Winter Gown

Yikes! Rare to find on the open market, is this most opulant regal presentation gown and robe, dating to the late 19th early 20thc. With label that reads Drecol, Vienna. The quality of materials and construction of these pieces were reserved for only the most wealthy of the period. Two pieces, an outer robe and the gown. The figured gold lame and silk outer robe features, pearl and glass cased diamante French paste swag front closure, the robe trimmed out in ermine and is sleeveless with great full train, unlined except for trim areas.

The gown's bodice is fully lined and stayed with dense front panel of the pearls and paste running vertically the length of gown, the gown is cased in gold lame under this is cream silk faille, gold lace sleeves over gold lame. Not perfect and will need conservation, missing many rhinestones, the pearl swag with losses, tarnish to the gold lame, some scattered holes to the silk faille of gown, weakness and breaks to the gold lame at shoulders of the robe, missing linings of the ermine, and some loss of stitches to the ermine.

Chest on gown 32", waist 24", length in front 51" with train 59.

Robe length in front 52" in back 74"

From Me:

This is so something Princess Leia would have worn on the ice planet of Hoth...

Whoa. Indeed. If it wasn't for the inside views, I would have wondered if it was a movie costume. For me, it would have been right at home in Coppola's Dracula. Mina feeling like an exotic Eastern European touch in her Transylvania wardrobe? That being said - I love it!